James DeMonaco directs Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey and Adelaide Kane in this sci-fi thriller where a family must defend their home against invaders on a night when even murder is legal.

An annual night of state sanctioned lawless violence. Masked attackers hunt and kill and torture anyone too poor to afford fortress home security. Beefs and unspoken animosities are settled with consequence free bloodletting. The “America” of Childish Gambino music video and Garland’s Civil War gets to let off some steam. People are snotty towards DeMonaco’s now long running Purge franchise but for me it delivers B-Movie thrills consistently and often imaginatively. The first entry starts small and cheekily takes full advantage of the negative space of an unlit dream home. Thrifty but nifty. The wider world we explore in the robust sequels and prequels is hinted at enough, the ground rules tantalisingly established. The main villain, Polite Purger, is a neato mix of Alex The Droog and Patrick Bateman. Take a bow, Rhys Wakefield. Hawke and Headey are always fine value, just that little touch more superior to the genre trash they often make. Straw Dogs meets John Carpenter meets class war fascism. And there’s a few surprises along the way. These flicks are richer, deeper and more inventive than they ever need to be.

8

Perfect Double Bill: The First Purge (2018)

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